Enhancing Grade Crossing Safety in Texas: Initiatives & Action Plan

1. Grade Crossing Safety Initiativesin Texas Darin K. Kosmak Rail Highway Section Director Texas Department of Transportation Rail Division Austin, Texas

2. 2010 Dedicated Fund Programs • Federal RR Signal - $15.0 M • Federal RR Grade Separation - $25.0 M • State Grade Crossing Replanking - $ 3.5 M • State RR Signal Maintenance - $ 1.1M Total dedicated fund programs = $44.6 M / YR

3. Program Overview • Texas has most public highway-rail grade crossings (9,784) & RXR crashes in U.S. • Auto-train collisions, injuries and fatalities have decreased by 68% over past 20 years. • Lowest reported fatalities in each of past two years (2008 – 09). • During FY 2010, Railroads installed 143 crossing signal projects at cost of $30.4M. • In FY 2010, 33 Highway-rail grade separation projects went to contract statewide.

4. State Replanking Program • One of only a few remaining state funded programs of work for resurfacing on-system crossings • The Commission reauthorizes and funds the program as part of the UTP. • Program only funds reimbursements to Railroads. TCP and approach work must be funded thru TxDOT district maintenance budgets. • 2010 Program funded 46 projects at a cost of $3.16 Million. • Project work is contracted directly with the operating railroad company.

5. Federal Railroad Administration Crossing Safety Action Plan • Federal Rail Safety Improvement Act – • Passed into Law on October 16, 2008 • FRA Final Rule issued June 28, 2010 • Requires 10 States with highest number of fatal crashes to implement crossing safety action plans. • Inventory Reporting • EN Signs/numbers • Crash reporting

6. Texas Crossing Safety Action PlanGoals & Objectives • Identify Crossings with Multi-Collisions • Identify and Evaluate Crossing & Crash Data at Multi-Collision crossings • Identify & Evaluate Other Statewide Crossing Safety Needs to Focus Mitigation Efforts • Develop 5-Year Safety Action Improvement & Implementation Plan

7. Crossing Safety Improvement Stakeholders Meeting • Developed List of Safety Action Plan Recommendations for Program Areas: • Evaluation • Engineering • Education • Enforcement

8. Program Area RecommendationsEvaluation • Improve Communication to Stakeholders of RXR Safety Improvement Programs & Strategies • Research & Provide Collision Data to Identify Multi-Collision Crossings • Update TxDOT Priority Index Formula

9. Program Area RecommendationsEngineering • Use Sec. 130 funds to require closures • Preemption Upgrades • Local participation to encourage low cost safety improvements: YIELD/STOP signs, AW signs, medians

10. Program Area RecommendationsEducation • Driver Education Tools & Education Materials • Operation Lifesaver – Focus Mitigation Efforts to high-incident regions • Update & Re-Publish TxDOT RXR Public Information Materials on Website & E-mail list.

11. 2003-07 Crash Data Analysis at Multi-Collision Crossings • Total of 1,328 collisions at 1,044 crossings • Casualties: Non-injury 60%, injury-only 31%, fatal 9% • 61% of total collision-crossings had active warning devices in place • 35% of crashes occurred at active crossings where multiple-collisions were reported • 80% of the 1,328 collisions occurred at crossings located within close proximity of a nearby Highway Intersection

12. Collision Analysis of Crossings Located Near Highway Intersections • 229 of 803 reported RR active warning devices interconnected with nearby traffic signals • Of the 229 reports, 46% occurred at multi-collision crossings • 42% occurred at crossings located less than 75 feet from adjacent highway intersection, & • 69% of the crossings had active warning devices

13. Conclusions of Collision Analysis • Higher incident of collisions at crossings: 1. Located adjacent to highway intersections 2. With multi-collisions located adjacent to highway intersections 3. With railroad signals interconnected with adjacent traffic signals

14. Texas Crossing Safety Action Plan 5-Year Implementation Plan Education & Enforcement • Coordinate with Texas Operation Lifesaver to focus crossing safety mitigation efforts in auto-train collision high incident regions. • Print second edition of Grade Crossing Law Enforcement pocket guides. • Update & re-publish TxDOT RXR Public Information Handbook materials on TxDOT website. • Communicate events and new information to e-mail group account of crossing safety stakeholders.

15. Texas Crossing Safety Action Plan 5-Year Implementation Plan Evaluation & Engineering • Include “Gated” Crossings Reporting Multiple Collisions in TX PI Formula Rankings • Upgrade Preemption at Interconnected Crossings • Focus on Crossing Corridor Safety Upgrade Projects • Install more YIELD/STOP signs at Passive Crossings • Identify Passive Crossings w/ Limited Sight Distance for Signal Upgrade or Closure* • Local Cost participation for road work (medians, curbs), utilities, ROW, Quiet Zones, Traffic Signal upgrades • Railroad Cost Participation for Wayside upgrades, replanking, closing crossings, and signal/gate re-hab

16. Texas Crossing Safety Action Plan 5-Year Implementation Plan Evaluation & Engineering • Monitor and update annual performance workload measure: “% of signalized public railroad crossings”. • Establish new performance workload measure: “% reduction of crossings experiencing multi-collisions” • Establish new performance workload measure: “RXR Fatal & Serious Injury Crash Rate” • Conduct research to develop warrants for passive to active upgrades at low volume crossings • Upgrade railroad crossing inventory database, update priority index, and continue crash data analysis

17. Developing Warrants for Active Warning Devices at Low-Volume Highway-Rail Grade Crossings Project Abstract • Two-year research project. • Develop a highway-rail crossing prioritization system. • Revised safety index and warrants for active warning devices at low-volume highway-rail grade crossings. The Research Scope • Emphasizes low-volume crossings in the lower-third of the priority list generated with the current Texas Priority Index. • variables in the safety index present challenging mathematical characteristics and must be modeled using appropriate methods. • Deliverables will facilitate rail-highway crossing management in Texas, ensuring proper consideration of low-volume roads when applying Section 130 funding mechanisms

18. Developing Warrants for Active Warning Devices at Low-Volume Highway-Rail Grade Crossings Project Organization & Implementation • At the end of the first year: TxDOT will have a provisional set of warrants, and a list of crossings eligible for improvements with cost estimates. Evaluation of this early implementation will be used to refine the warrants during the second year. • At the end of the project, TxDOT will have revised warrants based on this practical implementation, a new list of eligible crossings based on the revised warrants, a revised safety index and protection factors, a methodology to rank crossings that meet those warrants, and a prioritized list of all crossings, prepared with the new methodology.

19. Texas Railroad Crossing Inventory Database Project - TRAX • The vendor has been selected and is now under contract to develop the new database • TRAX will be web-based, geospatial, data integration database for managing crossing inventory, crash records analysis, project prioritization/selection, project workflow tracking, financial processing and contract management • TRAX is a two (2) year project. District and Railroad staff will be involved in development & testing of the database • TRAX will replace TRACI (web based) & TxRAIL (internal) databases currently in use by TxDOT

20. Keys to Success • Timely and accurate prep of project PS&E • Dedicated Funding • Timely Reporting • Accurate Records • Good Database • Communication Coordination & Cooperation

21. Questions?darin.kosmak@txdot.gov